An Adorable Excuse For a Visit
by HecateA
Summary: After the Battle of Hogwarts, Andromeda would have counted herself lucky to survive her family's ultimate tragedy with her grandson happy and healthy. A new friendship was not on her agenda, but she wants to give Teddy as much family as she can find remaining. Oneshot.


**Author's note: This was an interesting foray into letter-style stories. **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to Rick Riordan, and this story derives from his original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment #1, Biosciences Task #1, Write about a friendship between two or more unlikely people

**Warnings: **Loss; mourning; estranged family

* * *

**An Adorable Excuse For a Visit **

Dear Mr Lupin,

My name is Andromeda Black Tonks and I have many things to write to you about today. Most of these things should have warranted our earlier introduction, but from what my daughter had told me you and your son have a difficult relationship. I am not here to cast judgement on the subject—I myself have thought and said things of which I am not proud. I simply think that you deserve to be brought into the fold on the following matters.

My daughter Nymphadora Judith Tonks was married to your son Remus for just over a year. There was no wedding to attend as they eloped in a Scottish tavern whose name I never asked and which I'm afraid we may now never know.

I am sorry to say that both your son and my daughter have recently passed away during the Battle of Hogwarts, fighting with the Order of the Phoenix.

I am sorry for your loss. I am especially sorry if this is the first you hear of it—from what Remus told me, you live a rather isolated life. I dare hope that this letter reaches you so that you find out that your son died a hero alongside friends and, yes, his wife.

Remus and Dora's funerals were held two days ago, and _The Daily Prophet _ran obituaries for them, both of which stated that they were survived by a son. I know that you have never met him, as he is currently in my care and I have seen him nearly daily since his birth, but when I read these words I wondered when I read these words if you even knew about your grandson.

His name is Edward Remus Lupin, after my late husband, though they took to calling him Teddy and the nickname has stuck. I have attached the most recent pictures I have of him, please feel free to hold onto them. His hair is blue in all of them, but he is a Metamorphmagus like his mother, so it changes over the day. He is otherwise a healthy, happy little boy.

While he is still too young to Apparate long distances with and as you are currently residing in Wales I am afraid that we cannot come to you should you wish to meet Teddy. That being said, if you would like to come visit us in England I would be more than happy to receive you.

Sincerely,

Andromeda Tonks

* * *

Dear Mrs. Tonks,

I am in your debt and cannot thank you enough for reaching out.

How soon can you accommodate a visitor?

Best,

Lyall J. Lupin

* * *

Dear Mr Lupin,

I am pleased to hear back from you and would be happy to host you at your earliest convenience. Tentatively, I have no other business to attend to this coming Sunday and have Teddy for the day. I am sure that he would be pleased to meet you.

Sincerely,

Andromeda Tonks

* * *

Dear Mrs Tonks,

I realize as I wrote this that when we met you asked me to call you Andromeda, and hope that you will forget this lapse while writing.

While I wish that we had met under happier occasions, thank you again for the opportunity to meet my grandson. I feel as though I was nor articulate nor gracious enough when we met in person, and hope that you would be so kind as to relegate this to shock and grief. As you may have guessed from what my son has told you about me (or the lack thereof), Remus and I had a strange relationship. It is through mistakes of my own that Remus became a werewolf, something of which I was not nearly forthcoming enough with him. This belated truth created a rift between us soon before his mother passed away, and he took great strides in distancing that part of his life and its consequences from me, all-consuming as it was. I now know that Remus also made great efforts to keep me seperate from the more dangerous activities of his, such as his work with the Order of the Phoenix. We have had very little keeping us together.

I did, however, immediately notice that Teddy has his eyes. Remus was born with big brown eyes. At the time my wife (who worked as a Muggle nurse) was surprised by the depth of colour they had, as she had seen more than her fair share of blue-eyed babies come into this world. Seeing him made me remember that I had boxes upon boxes of baby books, toys, clothes, and blankets tucked away in storage. I have attached a parcel of what wasn't too moth-eaten or otherwise overused, in hopes that Teddy may find some use in them.

If it would be alright with you, I was also wondering if we could establish a system for me to visit Teddy on a more regular schedule. I understand that his godfather has custody of him though you take care of him more permanently, and believe me I am not in the business of complicating what seems to be a very complex arrangement. I also understand that your life has been profoundly shaken by this war and if you are in any shape like I was after losing my wife, you may currently value space and time to yourself more than anything. But if you have room for me, seeing Teddy reminded me of how much of Remus' childhood I missed, largely through my own faults, and how little I knew my son once he had grown. I would like to do better now if there would be a way for me to do so without taxing you.

Sincerely,

Lyall J. Lupin

* * *

Dear Lyall,

Thank you for coming over last Wednesday; Teddy absolutely loves the stuffed lion you brought him and has taken to sleeping with it (I have attached a photo—the development of which delayed this letter, though I do think our little angel warrants this).

You also forgot your scarf at my home. I suppose this will not be a problem as you will be visiting again shortly, but I wanted to let you know to save you the trouble of looking for it in your own home.

Sincerely,

Andromeda

* * *

Andromeda,

I have absolutely devoured the book you sent me home with and wanted to send word ahead of my next Wednesday visit, apologizing to poor Teddy that my attention may be divided between him and this thrilling saga you have introduced me to! I look forward to hearing your thoughts as the tome definitely gave me much to think about.

I have also attached a lunascope with my letter. We purchased it for Remus when he was a boy to help him follow the phases of the moon, and I thought Teddy might like to have it one day. I become nostalgic after our visits, no matter how good the company and strong the tea, and find myself rummaging through boxes and memories.

Best,

Lyall J. Lupin

* * *

Dear Lyall,

I have hung the lunascope in the nursery's window so that it catches the light and projects shapes and shadows onto the the floor. They give me something to look at when I rock Teddy to bed; he's been colicky recently, be warned before your next visit.

I admit that when I met Remus, it took me quite some time to accept his condition and even tolerate his presence. Of this I am ashamed, but there is no changing the past and it would be a disservice to pretend otherwise. He was fiercely patient with us, while Dora was always the one fierce enough to talk some sense into us. Perhaps if we surround Teddy with honesty and facts from a young age, he will grow up informed and unashamed. Let us hope that he is more like his mother and has the openness and heart not to judge needlessly and harshly. I rarely see her in Teddy, given how Dora changed her looks as frequently as possible and Teddy seems to be following in her footsteps, but he wouldn't be here were it not for her incredible and fierce heart. He gives me a chance to remember her and something to keep myself grounded now that she is gone.

I look forwards to your next visit and have attached the second novel of the series to tide you over until then—though with your reading speed I should perhaps send over the trilogy's final installment too. I must admit, it is quite nice to speak to a grown-up every now and then though I relish our grandson's company.

Sincerely,

Andromeda

* * *

Dearest Andromeda,

I found myself walking in the village yesterday morning, just after the church service ended, and I didn't shy away from the crowd—or avoid town altogether knowing it would be busy. Someone who had worked with Hope recognized me and struck up a conversation. I showed them the picture of Teddy in my wallet without hesitating for a second, and we talked about him and then we talked about other things and it was like a real conversation. I even popped into the toy store in the day, when it was busy and full of people, because I wanted to see if they had anything to add to Teddy's repertoire. I lost my son far earlier than you lost your daughter, but I can sympathize with you. For the first time in a long time, Teddy has given me something new and exciting and happy to talk about.

Please let me know how Teddy's appointment at St. Mungo's goes. He seems like such a happy, healthy baby to me, but I spend more time with boggarts than people and should perhaps not be trusted on the topic. If the Healers say that he is sturdy and healthy enough to Apparate with you, I would be more than happy for you to visit me in Wales.

Best,

Lyall J.

* * *

Dear Lyall,

Thank you so much for opening your home to Teddy and myself. While my husband and I enjoyed traveling once we retired from our work at St. Mungo's, we somehow neglected visiting Wales. It was lovely to spend time by the sea and see the village.

More pressingly, I am writing to you so soon after our last meeting because Teddy has said his first word! He nearly shocked his poor godfather out of his wits by happily saying "hi" while they were playing peek-a-boo with stuffed toys. Harry immediately called me in a panic, and Teddy has been happily greeting the world around him ever since. We can spend hours walking around the kitchen, introducing him to the various appliances and cupboards we find there.

I hope you will be greeted by your own "hi" from our little one next Wednesday! And if not, at least I will be happy to see you, and curious to see if you did in fact manage to solve that unsolvable puzzle in _The Prophet _like you promised you could.

Love,

Andromeda

* * *

Dear Andromeda,

Incredible news! Well done, Teddy! He's a quick speaker—I don't know about Nymphadora, but Remus certainly was. I'll do my best to devise some scheme to tease a _hi _out of him when I visit next.

I am actually quite thankful for the excuse to write to you; I was going to swing by that bakery we saw when you visited and pick up more of those bakestones you enjoyed. While I wanted this to be a surprise, I had trouble recalling if you're preferred the traditional ones, those with apple, or the jam splits. As baked goods are always an urgent matter, please write back at your earliest convenience.

Best,

Lyall

* * *

When Andromeda opened the door her hair was tied back in a low chignon and she was drying her hands on her apron, whose front pocket currently held her wand.

"Lyall!" she said, smiling when she saw him. "Lyall, it's so nice to see you… what a surprise…"

"A surprise?" Lyall asked. He had a pile of books he thought she would like tucked under one arm, and another bag holding a soft blanket Hope had knit years ago with a blue yarn not unlike Teddy's favourite turquoise—not to mention a fresh loaf of bara brith safely tucked away in a brown paper bag.

Her face fell as some realization dawned on her.

"Oh dear! I forgot to tell you… I don't have Teddy today he's with Harry," Andromeda said. "He, Harry I mean, just started Auror training and his schedule is absolutely impossible—he asked me to switch our days and I… I completely forgot…"

"Oh, no, not at all, that's alright," Lyall stumbled awkwardly. "I, umm…"

"I'm so sorry, you've come all this way to see him," Andromeda said.

"No, no, no," Lyall said. "You're very busy, please don't worry, I'll just…"

"Well I won't you send you away," Andromeda said. She tucked a stray grey curl back behind her ear and gave him a smile. "We're friends. Surely we can spend some time together even without our grandson, no matter how adorable of an excuse he is."

"Yes, of course," Lyall said, a smile creeping onto his lips.

"Well, come in then," Andromeda said, opening the door wider and stepping back. "I'll put on the kettle."

* * *

**Stacked with: **MC4A; Hogwarts

**Individual Challenge(s): **More Than England; Slytherin MC; Bow Before the Blacks; Seeds; Ways to the Heart; Golden Times; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Family); Themes & Things B (Loss); Themes & Things C (Blanket); Themes & Things F (Tragedy); True Colours; Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Word Count: **2228


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